Spark-plug



A. G. TRAUTMAN.

SPARK PLUG.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE 26,1917.

1,333,932. Patented De... 2,1919.

.5P/c .1. 7 J fr ZX Z7 WITNESSES STES SPARK-PLUG.

Si -ecaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

Application and June 2s, 1917. "serial No. 177,155.

To all whom't 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, AUGUST G. TRAUTMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn,l in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spark-Plugs7 of 'which the following is a specification.

rllhis invention is a spark plug wherein a supplementary spark gap and condenser are employed to increase the etliciencyof the spark gap disposed within the cylinder. l

One object of the invention is to provide an spark plug with two gaps arranged in series.

.Another object, is to provide a .spark plug with a condenser which when assembled will form a unitary structure with the plug.

A further object is to provide a spark plug formed of readily separable sections, onevof which is provided on its exterior surface with a wire gauze shell which opens to the outside atmosphere whereby a certain por A tion of air can be taken in to mix with the spar: as the latter "is produced and which also serves as a guard to prevent accidental ignition of gases about the engine which might otherwise be ignited if the outer spark gap is exposed..`

A still further object is to provide a spark gap with a condenser operatively connected to the electrode to produce a higher voltage and therefrom a more etiieient sparlr to be formed' between the elect-rode of the main gap to insure a prompt tiring of, the explosive mixture of the cylinder.

Broadly seated, the rinvention comprises a shell through which extends an electrode surrounded by insulating materia-l, which insulating material is provided intermediate of the ends with a shouldered portion and a chambered portion adjacent one end and near said latter end with sight or peek holes,

said electroue terminating within said chambered portion, and loch nut adapted to cooperate with the'shell and with the shouldered portion of the insulating material to firmly hold said electrode in its operative position within the shell, a condenser operatively connected to said lock nut, a. wire gauze section'extending upward from and connected to said condenser and to cap or 'crown serving as a cover for said plug and an electrode yprojecting through said cap, one end of which terminates adjacent the end of the first mentioned electrode extendmg from the shell te 'cooperate with the lower end of the central or main electrode passing through the center of the plug. The several component parts of the plug formed to permit them to be readily separated from each other also to permit the asn ric.;

being sembly plug to be inserted in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine.

One practical form of construction and assembly will be described and Yillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the plug.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper half of the plug.

The shell of the plug generally indicated by the numeral 5 may be formed with lany suitable material having the usual external threads 6 to engage with threads formed in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine. Passing through the central portion of the shell 5 is a hole or passage 7'. The `lower end of the shell 5 preferably slopes from the threads 6 to the passage 7 which sloping portion is indicated at 8. Adjacent the upper end of this shell 5, the shoulder or flange section is formed which extends outwardly from the threads 6, the under suru face of this flange may form av seat with the exterior wall of the cylinder and thus pro-'1 vide a gas tight joint. vided internally with an aperture upon which are formed threads 10.

Disposed to surround the upper end of the hole or passage 7, is a chamber or shouldered rlfhis flange 9 is proportion ll which joins to aflat shouldered threaded portion 13 is a flange 14 'which is adjacent one end adapted to seat against the upper side of the v fiange 9 and extending upwardly from the flange 14 is a threaded portion having the threads l5 formed thereon.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the upper and lower surfaces of this lock nut which may be Y generally indicated at 16 are'preferably flat tion 17 is provided with a flanged portion 13 which has formed thereon threads 19, which threads are adapted to coperate with th'e threads 15 formed upon the upper portion of the lock nut 16, the lock nut 16 is provided with a center hole or passage 20 and the insulating section 17 is also provided with a center hole 21. The insulating section 17 may if desired be provided with an upwardly "extending collar or sleeve 22 which may be formed of wire gauze shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 3.

1f desired the condenser instead of being mounted within the insulating section 17 may be 'disposed above such insulating section within the collar or sleeve, 22.

Adaptedto coperateJ with the upper end of the wire gauze 22 is a cap or crown piece 23 which may serve as a cover for the chamber formed within the collar or sleeve. Suitable means may be provided for the coperative engagement of the wire gauze. 22 and the cap 23. Disposed centrally ofthe cap 23 is. a threaded aperture generally indicated at 24. Adapted to pass this aperture is a" threaded stem 25, the threads of which are indicated at 26. This stem 25 may vbe provided with a slot end 27 and to coperatively engage with the .threads 26 are the nuts 23 and 29, which serve to hold the stem 25 at any desired point relative to its passing throughthe threaded aperture Jformed in the cap 23. The lower end of the stem 25 is"a preferably provided with a flange or shouldered section 30 which serves to engage with the under side ot' the cap 23. vBy means of the slot end 27 when the nuts 28 and 29 are loosened, the stem 25 ma be adjusted in and out of the cap 23, tor such adjustment the nuts 2S and 29 may be so turned as to lock the stem 25 in its adjusted lposition.

lProjecting from the stem 25i and the iange 30 is an electrode '31 which may be formed of the usual material such as meteor wire commonly employed for spark plugs. l.

Disposed to be positioned within the hole or passage 7, the shouldered portion 11 of the shell, the hole or aperture 20 of the locknut 16, the hole 21 of the insulating section 17 is a porcelain body 32. This porcelain body is provided with a through passage 33 through which passes the electrode 34. The lower end of the electrode 34 projects outwardly from the flat faces 35 formed on the lower end of this porcelain body 32.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 2, there is a yshouldered portion or flange indidisposedl f This seccated at 36 which serves to abut against the flat face 35. The sparking end of thisA electrode 34 is indicated at 37 and extends downwardlyv from the shoulder or iange portion 3G. l

The upper end of the porcelain body 32 is preferably provided with a chambered section generally indiczited by the letter A. Intermediate of the llength of this chamber A there may be provided a sleries of openings 38 which n/iay serve as sight or peek holes. The upper end of this porcelain body 32 is adapted to abut and engage with the under surface of the cover 23. The elec trode 31 projects within the chamber A and the electrode 34 also projects a sulicient distance to provide a spark gap in connection with the electrode 31. The upper end of the electrode 34 isV provided with a shouldered portion or flange 39 which is adapted'to seat against the body 32 and at the bottom oi the chamber A.

Thus it will be seen that the electrode 34 -is firmly held in the through passage 33 of the porcelain body 32 and its upper end projecting above the shouldered portion or flange 39 forms a sparking electrode 40 as shown more particularly in Fig. 2. The shell 5 is also provided with an electrode indicated at 41 which is shown as being secured to one side projecting outwardly and inwardly so that this through end indicated at 42 is adjacent the sparking end 36, of the electrode 34. The gap formed between the electrodes 42 and 37 is of the width commonly employed.

From the construction and assembly shown and described the spark plug is pro vided with two gaps, a main onev and a secondary one. The secondary one being employed to determine whether or not the main gap is sparking. This will be known as the two gaps are placed in Series.

By the employment of the condenser the vspark may be increased in eliciency as the condenser will be charged upon the completion of the circuit and discharged at the moment of breaking.

Vhat is claimed as new is /1. A spark plug comprising a shell, an

insulating body extending through and be- 2. A spark plug comprising a shell, an insulating body extending through the shell, a retioulated casing surrounding the eX- tended portion of the body, a lock nut engaging the shell and securing the body against movement therein, a-n insulating ring engaging the-lock nut and supporting and fixing the easing, said body being formed with a chamber in that portion jvisi/ithin the length of the casing and with 10 openings in the casing walls, and electrodes extending lengthwise the body and spaced within the-chamber and opposite the openings to form a spark gap.

In 'testimony whereof I aiiix my signa- 15 ture.

AUGUsy/G. TRAUTMAN. 

